More than 44 percent of land in Oregon is privately owned. Financial incentive programs are available to encourage and assist landowners so they can manage their forest resources and meet their objectives. Typical forestry projects include protecting the landowner's resources/investment from fire or insect and disease infestation, and increasing monetary and environmental values of their forested property for the future.

Where can landowners find out what, if any, financial assistance is available, and the requirements needed to qualify? Below are links to information about incentive programs common to private forestland owners. You will also find contact information for inquiries about each program.

The goal of the Community Forest Program is to establish community forests; this is achieved by acquiring land which protects it from conversion to non-forest uses. The Community Forest Program is a federal program that assists landowners in establishing community forests, and sustainably managing them for public benefit including recreation, income, wildlife habitat, stewardship demonstrations sites, and environmental education.

Qualifications & specifications

Community Forests can be owned by local governments, Tribal governments and qualified nonprofit entities

The program pays up to 50 percent of the project costs and requires a 50% non-federal match. The match can include cash, in-kind services or donations from a non-Federal source. Additional requirements and information are found in §230.6 of the Community Forest Open Space Conservation Program final rule​

Public access is required for Community Forests

The community must be involved in the establishment of the community forest and long-term management decisions

Lands eligible for grants funded under the program must be private forest at least five acres in size and at least 75 percent forested, or suitable for sustaining forest cover

Individual grant applications may not exceed $400,000

Full fee title acquisition is required; conservation easements are not eligible

How to apply?

Additional criteria

Oregon Community Forests should have a strong landowner/public forestry/outdoor education component that expands and develops additional capacity to forestry education efforts within Oregon. Oregon prefers projects that exhibit the following:

The Community Forest Plan’s long-term management for forestry purposes is set forth through a written and approved Forest Stewardship/Oregon Tree Farm System forest management plan <embed link to Forest Stewardship/Oregon Tree Farm System page>

The applicant is a family forestry-related nonprofit organization with local forestland owner and community engagement in their governance, and has demonstrated financial and organizational capacity to actively manage forestland

The proposed property is certified, or will become certified, by the American Tree Farm System, Forest Stewardship Council, and/or Sustainable Forestry Initiative

The eligible property curretnly demonstrates effective forest stewardship and sustainable forestry as opposed to being in a degraded condition needing forest restoration and rehabilitation

The project supports implementation of the Oregon Conservation Strategy

The project is located within an urban-rural interface area and is threatened with conversion to a non-forestry use

Non-industrial private landowners who are the subject of the Community Forest Program application are free to pursue additional funding for the development of a Forest Stewardship Plan. The following conditions apply:

The private forestland owner wants to willingly participate in the Community Forest Program and commits to the Forest Stewardship Plan/Oregon Tree Farm plan (or a modification thereof that might remove public access and other provisions sought by the Community should the project not get Community Forest Program funding)

There is clear understanding between the Community and private landowner regarding who bears the cost-share non-federal match for the completed plan depending on the outcome of any award for the Community Forest Program

Only NEW plans are eligible for cost-share assistance; financial assistance is not available to update a current Forest Stewardship/Oregon Tree Farm Plans

Additional information and application instructions for the Forest Stewardship Program

The Community Forestry Program is made possible with funding and other program support provided by the U.S. Forest Service, Pacific NW Region, State & Private Cooperative Forestry.​

How to apply?

The goal of the Conservation Stewardship Program is to help landowners and operators maintain existing stewardship and adopt additional conservation on privately owned, non-industrial working forests and agricultural lands.

Qualifications & specifications

Signup for this program of the 2008 Farm Bill is open in every county nationwide on a continuous basis

Participants enter into a 5-year contract to receive an annual payment based on land use

Those enrolled will develop and follow a plan to addresses at least one priority resource concern not previously treated

How to apply?

The Forest Legacy Program is a national program that addresses privately-owned forestlands that face threats of conversion to non-forest use by development pressures. The goal of the Forest Legacy Program is to promote stewardship and sustainable management of private forest lands by maintain working forests that conserve important forest resource and conservation values.

Forest Legacy provides funds for eligible private forestlands for the purchase of development rights through either conservation easement or fee-title acquisition into public ownership.

All properties entered into Oregon’s Forest Legacy Program – either through conservation easement, fee acquisition or donation – have their forest resources and conservation values protected and managed in accordance with a State Forester approved Forest Stewardship Plan.

The program operates in designated Forest Legacy Areas​ where important forests may be lost to non-forest uses. The Forest Legacy Program seeks projects that strengthen local communities through state, local and private partnerships in conservation. Landowner participation in the Forest Legacy Program is voluntary. ​

The goal of the Forest Stewardship Program is to assist landowners in developing Stewardship and Tree Farm Plans.

Qualifications & specifications

Up to 75 percent cost-share reimbursement for Stewardship Plans written by a professional natural resource consultant

Cost-share does NOT cover a timber cruise or appraisal

Cost-share must be pre-approved by ODF prior to creation of a Plan

Plans must be developed according to the Oregon Forest Management Plan/Tools and Guidance

Plans must be reviewed and approved by the local ODF stewardship forester

Minimum Plan size is 10 acres

Plans apply to rural land suitable for growing trees and existing rural forestland

Plans are considered to have a ten-year life span unless updated before ten years has elapsed. Family forestland owners may apply for cost share for one new plan per forested property

Plan updates are appropriate for landowners with a five year old, or older, multi-resource plan that has not been revised. Family forestland owners may apply for cost share for one plan per forested property